Sunday, September 11, 2011

Nike SB PROD 5 shoe review with Chris Pierre-Jacques

So as in the post below, I told you that September was going to be crazy. Normally, if you've been checking on Ripped Laces, you've notice that we've been know to give out a sneak peek of our up and coming reviews. This just goes to show that you never know when some exclusive review will be coming through the door. The Prod 5 review just sort of fell on our lap. Originally, we were going to have 2nd Nature skate shop owner and man of newly found Quartersnacks fame, Doug Brown aka "Pretty White Boy Number 1" do the review but seeing as how he's a busy man, we went with the only back up plan possible, Chris Pierre-Jacques aka Lil Chris.

Despite his short time on earth, Chris has earned his reputation as the local ATS (All Terrain Skater). He's been killing everything in his path for as long as I've known what woman want, meaning forever. I'd like to think that Chris came out of the womb flicking his foot so it must've been a natural transition from the chooch to the board. Now, because this isn't our traditional review where myself and the reviewer receive a pair of shoes, their is only so much I can say about the shoe seeing as how I actually didn't get a pair. Normally, companies send us shoes for review but thankfully Chris took the initiative and supported his local skate shop.Information:
Chris likes girls, but clearly not enough to ignore his skateboard. He got this review done so fast that I could hardly keep up with all of the information he gave me. Luckily, Chris added some much needed commentary to the video review for all of our sake. This is our first Nike SB review and because we didn't directly get approached by Nike, I'll just give you the bare bones of what the PROD 5 has to offer.

Nike SB PROD 5 Summary:
The Nike SB PROD 5 is another stepping stone for Nike SB as far as producing a durable and simple skate shoe. In the past, they've been know to develop and host the most technical skate shoes in recent years. After paying close attention to the skateboarding market and the growing decline in the economy, Nike must've realized kids don't want to pay over $105 dollars to skate a shoe. However, the Nike SB PROD 5 draws some inspiration and similarities from the Nike SB Zoom Tre aka "the most indestructible skate shoe" ever. It carries the same silhouette but comes with more basic features for an "instant skating" shoe.

The Nike SB PROD 5, as per Chris, took 1 day to break in and to get accustomed to. The process did speed up during skating thanks to the Diamond Flex Tread pattern on the outsole. This is a featured I particularly enjoy because of it's originality and ingenuity. Because of the strategic alinement of the tread patterns, the shoes flexibility grows significantly without the draw back of a flimsy and uncomfortable shoe. The PROD 5 has a common, yet effective 1-piece toe cap. This toe cap is longer and extended further out of the shoe for abrasion controlled purposes. This relives the rest of the shoe from wear and all of the action will happen in one spot. You won't have to worry about any "Ripped Laces", you know I had to throw that in…

On top of this toe cap is a TPU suede. What the fuck is TPU suede? Calm down, lower your voice and I'll tell you. TPU suede or Thermo Plastic Urethane is a synthetic material commonly used in the footwear industry. It's mainly directed in the outsole and midsole section of shoes. In the PROD 5, they used this synthetic technology and fused it with suede to make a more durable and unbeatable material. Crazy shit, right? As much as I've never really supported the brand, they have done something truly remarkable in bringing this common winter wear technology into skateboarding.

Adding to the design aspect of the shoe are the perforated holes in the shoe to provide an extended amount of breathability. Normally in these 1-piece toe cap shoes, the breathability is horrible and simulates the feeling of having your foot in the oven. This isn't the case with the PROD 5's. The shoe is surrounded with mesh lining throughout and if anymore were added, it'd look like a t-shirt from the late 80's - early 90's. It's featured throughout the tongue and around the collar with a reasonable amount of padding for a comfortable fit. Last but not least in our review is the Lunarlon technology. It's been a staple among Nike runners for years and has just recently made the move to the skateboarding market. I didn't hear any complaints from Chris and as you can tell in the video, he took some pretty hefty drops so they must work.

I hope you thoroughly enjoyed the video and found it insightful. A special thanks to Chris for coming through with the review, Armand for being an amazing filmer and individual, and Doug Brown and the 2NTR family for showing their support.